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Chapter 5

We left the house early this morning, Dally shoving me the many places of Tulsa that I'm sure are more greaser places than anything, or maybe just his hang outs. I don't know. I keep my mind on the way we go, mesmerizing the streets and shortcuts Dally insist I have to know. I've been on the road a lot so I'm not too bad with remembering the places I've been. Just have to walk or drive it. When Dally's silent, Johnny fills the silence with nice conversation. Asking me about where I've been and what my favorite memories are, some things I've never had a chance to share with anyone. In the short time I've talked to him, I have a feeling that Johnny is like me. All alone in this big world. The only difference is that he has the gang while I have no one. Not even a pet for company. I can't have a pet with as much as I move around. Even as a kid I couldn't have any kind of pets, because we moved so much.

As we make our way to the DX to see Soda and Steve, my mind wonders back to this morning. Ever since Darry asked why I'm a drifter, it's been heavy on my mind. Why do I still drift? I could get a job and stay somewhere for as long as I wanted. I could settle down. Yet I have this feeling that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I don't have ties anywhere. What's the point in staying? I'm utterly alone. As this thought crosses me head, my body shivers and I'm suddenly cold.

A hand is placed on the small of my back, warming me back up. I turn to Johnny's concerned face. "Esmeralda?"

I give him a small smile of what I hope is reassurance. "I'm fine. Sorry I kinda zooned out there for a minute."

Johnny studies my face a bit longer before shrugging of his jacket and dropping it over my shoulders. My eyebrows come together as I finger the fraying edges. Johnny's quiet voice reaches me, bringing my face back to his. "You shivered. Come on, I'm sure Soda and Steve will have us some Pepsi's when we get inside. Dally had something to do."

Putting his arm around my shoulders, Johnny leads me into the DX where Soda and Steve are grinning over at us. "Uh…hi?"

Steve comes around and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug, bringing me from Johnny's side. "Hey Es. How was your tour with Dally? Run into any trouble?"

I pull away with a small smile. "No, everything went great. I'm pretty sure I won't get lost. No promises though." Steve laughs at that and hands me a Pepsi, pulling me to the stool he'd just vacated and sat me down.

"Get cold Al?" I give Soda a confused face before he motioned to Johnny's jacket still draped over my shoulders. I shrug, absently brushing my fingertips over the frayed edge. "A little. Wind started to blow a bit."

Johnny and I hung around the DX until the guy's had to get back to work. With a wave goodbye, we head back to the Curtis household, Ponyboy should be there from school by now or almost home. Soda and Steve have another hour to work before they'd be home, Darry will be an hour if not to, there is no telling where Dally or Two-Bit are, so I guess until we met up with Ponyboy it's just Johnny and me.

"Tell me a little about you Johnny."

He looks a little scared and nervous, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "What do you want to know?"

I shrug. "Well how old are you? I'm eighteen."

"I'll be seventeen soon. How long have you been moving around?"

I smile. "Drifting? A year give or take. Do you have brothers or sisters?"

Johnny shakes his head. "The gang are the closets things to brothers I have but no blood siblings. Where did you learn to play?"

We'd reached the Curtis house by now and sit on the front steps. I lean back onto Johnny's legs as I pull his jacket a bit closer around me. "When I was in the country awhile back, an old man took me in while I worked for money. He ended up paying me to clean his house and other things for him while he worked the fields. He'd been playing for years and would play every night after supper. One night he offered to teach me. I stayed there for two weeks. I'd mastered it and before I left he gave me his very first guitar as a reminder of my time there. On my way back through awhile later, I found out the old man had died not long after I'd left."

A stray tear made its way down my cheek and I feel Johnny rub my arm. "Man that's rough. I'm sorry."

I smile as the face of that old friend passes through my mind. "I'm not. He's in a better place. I'm glad I was able to meet him."

We sat in silence for a while, me sitting back on his legs while he rubs my arm. My eyes close in contempt as I feel more relaxed than I had in a long time. I can tell Johnny and I will be great friends if I decide to stay for long. Who knows, maybe I'll find work and stay in Tulsa.

"What are you too doing on the porch?" I open my eyes to look down at Darry, whose hard face is drawn and a bit pale. I stand imerdiatley and go to his side. A hiss of pain goes through his teeth as I place my hand on his shouler. "Darry what happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." He pales even more when I shift my hand down to his lower back to help him inside. The color completely leaves his face when he reaches the bottom of the steps. I glare. "Darrel Curtis you are not fine. What happened?"

He looks down at me. I can see the options running through his mind as he tries to come up with something to tell me. "Don't you dare lie to me."

After a second, he lets out a defeated sigh, looking over my head so not to meet my eyes. "I work construction and slipped. I fell off the roof and hurt my back. I got sent home for the rest of the day and tomorrow."

I smile softly at his masked face. He has to be tough for his brothers, yet you can see the worry and stress of making everything okay wearing down on his young shoulders. I slip under his arm and gently wrap my arm around his waist. "Well come on then. We aren't going to get inside if you just stand here glaring at the steps. I'll see what I can do about your back when we get inside."

Darry looks down at me in shock before a grateful smile comes to his features, followed with a determined look as we slowly make our way up the steps and into the house. Johnny shuts the door behind us. I look up at Darry. "Do you have a spare mattress?"

"No but we can use mine and I'll sleep in here for the night."

I nod and turn to Johnny who nods and heads down the hall to Darry's room. He soon appears with a large mattress and lays it on the floor in front of the TV. I help Darry out of his nasty work shirt and lay down on his stomach. I sigh. "Okay Johnny I'll need a bit of help. Can you find me two large bowls, some rags, and some lotion."

With a nod he heads off into the back rooms and Darry gives me a look over his shoulder, wincing a bit. "Lotion?"

I nod. "I'm going to give you a massage to help the stress on your back. I can't without lotion. The water and rags are to wash the sweat off and cool you down."

When Johnny appear with what I asked for I go into the kitchen and fill the bowls with cool water. Sitting them on the coffee table to the side I sit between the table and Darry. Dipping a rag in the water I make quick work of washing the sweat off his back, shoulders, and neck before putting them away. Once done, I pour some lotion in my palm and hold it between my hands for a minute before leaning over Darry's back. "Sorry this might be a little cold."

He just nods. He only tenses up a tiny bit before relaxing as I massage the lotion into his back, being sure to rub harder on the knots and kinks to work them out. Soon his breathing evens out as he falls asleep. I smile to myself and talk to Johnny quietly while I work out the last of the knots from Darry's back. While doing this, the guys walk in and all stop in their tracks as I glare at them. In a hushed whispered yell, I point a finger at them. "I swear to god if one of you wake him up I will kill you and make it look like a suicide. Now sit down and shut up."

They slowly nod as they make their ways quietly to a spot around the house and occupy themselves. Even Two-Bit stayed quiet.